Th e Th WorkbencH A Complete Guide to Creating Your Perfect Bench
Lon Schleining
The Th e
Wo W orkbench
The Th e
Wo W orkbench
The
Woorkbench W A Complete Guide to Creatin Creating g Your Perfect Bench Lon Schleining Photography by Randy O’Rourke
t
Text © 2004 by Lon Schleining Photographs © 2004 by Randy O’Rourke, except © John Sheldon, pp.4–5, 27 (left), 28 (bottom), 69 (bottom right), 73 (top), 75 (left), 77 (top), 96 (top), 98, 112, 144, 193; © Terry Nelson, pp. 6, 31 (bottom), 51 (bottom), 57, 66–67, 74 (bottom), 75 (right), 81, 88–89, 90, 91 (bottom), 94 (bottom), 113, 115, 170 (top), 185 (bottom); © Sandor Nagyszlanczy, pp. 8 (bottom), 24–25, 29, 36, 61, 103 (top right), 109, 179, 192; © Charlie Robinson, p. 11 (top); Photos courtesy of Fine Woodworking, © The Taunton Press, Inc., pp. 10, 11 (bottom), 41, 42 (left, right top and bottom), 50 (top), 56, 70 (top), 71, 92 (top), 97 (top), 104 (left), 145 (left and bottom right), 148 (right, top and bottom),149–151, 158, 162–165, 166 (top and bottom); © Mike Zens, p. 19; © Chris Holden, pp. 22, 136–137, 140 (top and center), 141 (center and bottom); Photos courtesy of © Lee Valley Tools, pp. 33 (bottom left), 52 (right), 72 (bottom), 73 (bottom), 78 (bottom), 94 (top), 95, 97 (bottom), 110 (bottom), 111, 195; © Andy Rae, pp. 45 (top), 48 (left), 103 (bottom), 104 (right, top and bottom), 152 (bottom), 153, 184, 189 (top); © Larry J. King p. 69 (top); © Roger Van Maren, p. 79 (right, top to bottom); © Sjöbergs of Sweden, pp. 99 (top), 110 (top), 116 (top), 117; © Garrett Wade, pp. 116 (bottom), 123 (top right); © Laguna Tools, p. 121; © Leif Carlsson, p. 122; © David Charlesworth, p. 123 (top left, bottom left); © Lon Schleining, pp.132–133, 134, 156 (bottom), 159 (top and bottom); © Strother Purdy, p. 194. Illustrations © 2004 by The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
p P The Taunton Press, Inc., 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506 e-mail:
[email protected] Distributed by Publishers Group West
Editor: Helen Albert Jacket/Cover design: Mike Sund Interior design and layout: Carol Petro Illustrator: Charles Lockhart Photographer: Randy O’Rourke Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schleining, Lon. The workbench : a complete guide to creating your perfect bench / Lon Schleining. p. cm. Includes index. E-Book ISBN: 978-1-60085-665-5 ISBN 1-56158-594-7 1. Workbenches--Des ign and construction. 2. Furniture making. 3. Woodwork--Equi pment and supplies. I. Title. TT197.5.W6S35 2004 684'.08--dc22 2004003555 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The following manufacturers/names appearing in The Workbench are trademarks: Ben ch Pups®, Columbian®, SM eBay ®, Ebco Sturdi-Bilt™, Festool®, Jorgensen®, Masonite®, McMaster-Carr , Ping-Pong®, Record®, SM Rockler®, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware , Shop Fox®, Veritas®, Vertitas®, West System®, Wonder Dog®, Wonder Pup®, Workmate®, Zyliss® Working wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring safety practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don’t try to perform operations you learn about here (or elsewhere) unless you’re certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety foremost in your mind whenever you’re in the shop.
Dedication
To the hundreds of woodworkers I’ve met in my travels, especially those who’ve taken my classes over the years. Your brilliant questions and suggestions have taught me more about woodworking than you know.
Acknowledgments Producing a book requires the talents and hard work of scores of people. Thank you all, especially those who work behind the scenes. Scott Landis’original work on workbenches laid the foundation for any subsequent work on this topic. Many current and former Taunton contributors have provided insights on benches, including Tage Frid, Frank Klausz, Garrett Hack, Bob Flexner, Mario Rodriguez, Bruce Hoadley, Gary Rogowski, Mike Dunbar, Phil Lowe, Niall Barrett, Nick Engler, and Scott Gibson. The good folks who staff Fine Woodworking magazine made a huge contribution, including Tim Schreiner, Anatole Burkin, Matthew Teague, Tom Begnal, John White, and especially Asa Christiana whose advocacy was invaluable. This book would certainly not be in your hands without the support of people at Taunton Books, including Jim Childs, Carolyn Mandarano, Marilyn Zelinsky Syarto, Wendi Mijal, Rosalind Wanke, Chuck Lockhart, and Jenny Peters. Numerous personal perspectives on benches are blended into this work, including Gary Chinn’s world view, Carl Matthews’ amazing work on Emmert vises, Graham Blackburn, Mack Headley and Marcus Hansen’s historical perspectives, Jerry TerHark’s practicality, Tom Lie-Nielsen’s love of tools, David Charlesworth’s love of the craft, Rob Cosman’s fierce defense of tradition, and Marc Adams’ dedication to education. Among those who let us interrupt their work to take photos include Brent Merkley, John Allison, Curt Erpelding, Paul Breskin, Arron Latt, Steve Grimminger, Paul Schurch, Kelly Mehler, Russ Filbeck, Harry Williams, Bob Gelson, Hank Holzer and Judith Ames, Ejler Hjorth-Westh, George Levin, Harold Foss, Doug Betts, Yeung Chan, Brian Boggs, Dennis Treffry, Jim Robbins, Rick Gunderson, Harold Greene, John Wiedner, and Clyde ‘Bubba’ Richardson. Andy Rae, Sandor Nagyszalanczy, Terry Nelson, the late John Sheldon, Asa Christiana, Roger Van Maren, Maureen Nilsson, and others contributed some of the great photographs you see on these pages.
Dozens of people contributed their thoughts and projects to the book, including Dick Need, Bob Gabor, Jim Croker, Ana Carter, Jim Wiley, Jon Brooks, Jim Heavy, Robert Abrams, Don Feher, Cliff Trimble, Scott Jost, W. F. Bill Judt, Geoffry Killin, Dave Padget, Chris Morgan, John Graves, Charles Durham, Cindy Vargas, Keith Kidd, Jeff Smith, Jim Strapulos, Bill Miller, Tony Fucci, Warren Casto, Ron Goldman, Mike Steinfelt, Carl Stammerjohn, Pat Edwards, Pat Warner, Thomas Moser and Thomas Bunn, Gary Blaise, John Stair, Lark King, and Jon Leppo. Manufacturers and suppliers of materials and equipment are the life’s blood of our craft. Thanks to Leonard Lee and Wally Wilson, Jeffery Noden, Torben Helshoj, Leif Carlsson, Daryl Kiel, Howard Card, Gabi Baski, Laguna Tools, and Sjöbergs of Sweden. Special thanks to Sam and Beverly Maloof for their hospitality. Roz in the office, Larry White, Mike Johnson, and David Wade in the shop all went out of their way to accommodate our numerous visits. I simply cannot thank John Barbee and John Nyquist enough for their patience and hard work. They each burned a great deal of their valuable time building projects for this book. Brent Merkley and Tim Boswell each lent a helping hand at exactly the right time. The majority of the photographs in the book were shot by Randy O’Rourke, surely the world’s most talented, hardworking, and easygoing photographer. Thanks for another beautiful job, Randy. To say that my friend Helen Albert somehow managed to translate my manuscript into English vastly understates how much heavy lifting she did to make this book possible. My wife, Anne, frequently reminded me to dwell on how good it would feel when the book was actually finished; precisely the sort of thing an author needs to hear on a regular basis. Thank you, Annie. I couldn’t do it without you.
Contents
Introduction
2
Workbench Tops
Chapter 1
The Perfect Bench What Kind of Woodworking Do You Do? Locating the Bench Bench Size Weight Height A Comfortable Bench Area Designing Your Bench
Chapter 2
4 6 8 12 15 17 20 22
Benchtop Dimensions Top Configuration Tool Trays Materials for Tops Keeping the Top Flat Flattening a Benchtop Fastening the Top to the Base Finishing the Top
24 27 28 31 33 40 43 45 45
Chapter 3
A Solid Foundation Base Configuration Frame Bases Base Joinery Options Strengthening the Base Legs Made from Metal Enclosed Bases Leveling the Bench Electrical Power
46 48 49 50 56 57 58 64 65
Chapter 4
Getting a Grip Locating Vises Types of Vises Screw Mechanisms Manufactured Vises Shop-Built Vises
66 68 68 71 74 82
Chapter 5
Holding Your Work Bench Dogs Stops Holdfasts and Hold-Downs Board Jacks Bench Hooks Fixtures and Auxillary Tables
88 90 95 97 102 104 105
Chapter 6
Bench in a Box Bench Components Manufactured Benches of the Past Contemporary Bench Makers
106
Chapter 8
108
Tradition Mee ts the Twenty-First Century
112 114
Chapter 7
No-Frills Benches Getting Down to Basics Sam Maloof’s Bench Building the Bench Niall Barrett’s Bench Building the Bench
124 126 128 132 136 140
English-Style Workbenches Building the Bench European Traditions Building the Bench The Best of Old and New Building the Bench Shaker with a Twist
142 144 148 152 156 158 162 166
Chapter 9
Innovative Workbenches A Different Kind of Benchtop The Torsion Box Storing Large Worktables Thinking Outside the Box
168 170 173 176 180
Chapter 10
Benches for Special Tasks Assembly and Finishing Portable Workbenches Benches for Working on Irregular Parts Other Woodworking Specialties Dedicated Task Benches
182 184 186 188 190 192
Resources
196
Index
200
2
Introduction “For some people, building their own bench is almost a woodworking rite of passage.”
I
n its simplest form, a woodworking bench is nothing more than some sort of
raised platform so you can work standing up. Even a piece of plywood on sawhorses would fit this definition. Such a bench would certainly be inexpensive, fast to build, and very portable. If it got rained on, or stained by spilled coffee, no big deal. Though less than ideal, this may be all the bench some woodworkers would really need. But what they really yearn for is another matter entirely. Woodworkers’ notions of the ultimate bench are as diverse as their activities. What’s ideal for one woodworker is wholly impractical for another. A great bench for a furniture maker may not work for a carver and vise versa. A boatbuilder’s bench is utterly different from a violin maker’s, yet they all work wood and they all need benches. Much as woodworking pundits might like to say their particular workbench is the only proper configuration, many of the choices in design are simply a combination of familiarity and personal taste. If there is a common thread, it’s a tendency to think the bench you learned on is the best bench. A shoulder vise, for example, is a device some woodworkers simply could not get along without. For others, it’s a somewhat fragile appendage of little use in a modern wood shop. Such is the subjective and very personal nature of the workbench. The “classic” workbench originated centuries before the invention of the equipment modern woodworkers take for granted. These days, rare indeed is the woodworker who does
not use an electric drill or surface planer. A perfectly suitable bench for the type of work people did 300 or 400 years ago may not be the best one today. Some things haven’t changed. Virtually every woodworking tool, power or otherwise, requires two hands to operate safely. Holding the board securely is, if anything, more important with power tools than with hand tools since the consequences of a slip could be more serious. Woodworkers who think a traditional bench has no place in a modern shop need only consider how difficult it is to hold a furniture part with one hand while belt-sanding it with the other two. Woodworkers of today do work differently. We often work with large panels and sheet goods and so need to clamp our work somewhat differently. We have access to hardware that can speed construction. Modern materials like Melamine and laminates are better than solid wood for some applications. Vacuum pressing
3
makes building large torsion boxes easier. Throughout this book, I have tried to point out how modern methods and materials can be applied to workbench design and construction. For some people, building their own bench is almost a woodworking rite of passage. Their bench is an expression of the pride they take in their work, an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and to show off a little. These folks probably envision a solid-maple behemoth with intricately constructed vises, a gleaming finish, lots of accessories and cool hardware. Sure it cost a bundle and took months to build. Yes, there may be just a bit of reluctance about actually using the bench for fear of getting that first scratch or dent. But for those bench builders, the satisfaction of having built it is justification enough. Then there are the folks who sit down and do the math. They figure the cost of lumber and hardware, then estimate (or should I say
underestimate) the time it will take to build the bench. They compare their figures with the cost of having a finished bench shipped to their doorstep. It slowly sinks in that it’s entirely irrational to build a bench from scratch. For these practical souls, the only logical choice is to buy the finished bench outright. The bottom line is that however you get your hands on it, you need a good bench to do your work safely. You need some vises and holddowns for joinery, fitting pieces, and finish work like installing hinges. At the very least you need a true flat surface for gluing. This book is intended as a guide for asking the right questions and then making the right decisions about what you really need and what you really want. A workbench is a very personal choice. Your opinions and personal preferences are the most important. Take your time pondering the questions. And remember; only you can provide the answers.
1 The Perfect Bench The perfect workbench for you is simply the
__________________________ THE PERFECT BENCH for
furniture maker and handtool expert Garrett Hack is an eighteenth-century classic, complete with a twin-screw front vise and a board jack to support long boards when planing.
one that works best for you most of the time. That means enabling you to do the tasks you do most often with a minimum of fatigue and discomfort. Since any kind of woodworking requires a wide variety of activities from planing to routing, that’s a tall order. It’s probably no surprise to you that designing the perfect bench is about making smart compromises. It’s a balancing act to get the best combination of functionality and comfort. To strike the right balance, you’ll need to consider several key factors: what you build; your working style, including your preferences for hand tools or power tools; the size of your shop and location of the bench; and even how your own height fits into the equation. The place to begin finding the answers is to ask the right questions. That’s exactly what this chapter will help you do. For the time being, try to put your mental pictures of the “proper” bench aside. Instead, concentrate on asking yourself what you need in a bench. Proper means nothing if it’s not right for you.
6 THE PERFECT BENCH
Smart Solution
CONSIDER DEDICATED BENCHES If you do a wide variety of woodworking, one bench may not serve all your needs. Many woodworkers have a general-purpose bench suitable for most woodworking tasks as well as dedicated specialized benches for assembly, carving, or sharpening. Don’t be surprised if you find more than one workbench on your drawing board.
What Kind of Woodworking Do You Do? Ask any experienced woodworker what makes the perfect bench and the answer will be, “It depends.” What it depends on, first and foremost, is what you build and how you like to work. If you’re a fan of hand tools, you may need a very solid surface for chopping dovetails or mortises with a chisel and a mallet. Perhaps all you really need is space to spread out parts for assembly. Maybe your bench needs to be portable so you can move it from job site to job site. What if you intend to build a boat and need to work on planks that are 20 ft. long? All these tasks imply different requirements for a workbench and will determine the size and configuration of the right bench for you.
What Do You Make?
__________________________ CLYDE RICHARDSON specializes in small boxes. Seated at his
bench, he finds that it’s at just the right height for close work. The unique bench dogs he makes are ideal for holding the small parts with his tail vise, and the natural li ght from the windows provides great illumination.
What you plan to build at your bench is the first question to ask. Are you more inclined to build entertainment centers or clocks? If you are a chairmaker, you don’t really need a bench designed for assembling large cabinets. If you want to build a boat, you need a different bench from the person who is planning to build Windsor chairs with lots of circular parts. Your diminutive carving bench will be quite unsuitable for larger projects. The scale of the woodworking you do will determine the overall scale of the bench. If you primarily build stand-alone furniture, the classic workbench dimensions of 2 ft. wide by 6 ft. long, may be just right for you. If you build on a larger scale—floor-to-ceiling bookcases, or cabinets—you may need a longer or wider bench. A wider bench is useful to support
What Kind of Woodworking Do You Do? 7
__________________________ pieces when working with panels. You may also may need more than one row of bench dogs holes to secure panels. On the other hand, a carver may require only a small bench, but one that’s outfitted with special vises and holding devices.
DENNIS TREFFRY builds fine kitchen cabinets. His assembly table
houses frequently used tools and hardware below the top. He uses the lower bench on the left for taller pieces. When not in use, the table rolls back into its garage, which doubles as his table saw outfeed.
8
THE PERFECT BENCH
How Do You Work?
__________________________ is perfectly suited to his specialty—cutting minute dovetails. When seated at his front vise, with tools carefully laid out to be within easy reach, he can saw and chisel comfortably. Lacking natural light, he relies on his movable lamp to provide light exactly where he needs it. JOHN BARBEE ’ S BENCH
__________________________ Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a power tool fan. He designed his bench with cabinets to store his portable power tools and added a power strip for plugging in more than one tool at a time.
The tools you use most play a large role in how you should design design your bench. bench. Modern electric electric power tools, like sanders and routers, share a significant number of character characteristics istics with handsaws and chisels. They each require two hands to operate. They each need a solid work surface. The same sort of vise will probably work whether you are cutting dovetails with a router or a handsaw. Bench dogs are equally useful whether belt sanding or handplaning. If you work primarily with power tools, you’ll want to consider access to electrical outlets when placing your bench in the shop. You may also decide to build a power strip into the bench to make it easier to plug in more than one tool at a time. Your Y our working working prefe preference rencess affect affect other other specific specific details as well. If you like to clamp work to the bench, a continuous overhanging lip is going to be an important design priority. A wide vertical apron across the front of the bench, favored by many woodworkers, offers a place to support the long end of a board while it is being planed, but it makes clamping pieces down to the top more awkward.
CALIFORNIA WOODWORKE WOODWORKER R
Locating the Bench If, as in most shops, your space is limited, it is all the more important to do a little planning. If you have a large large shop, you may have a number of options regarding where your new bench can go. If, like most woodworker woodworkers, s, your workshop is a bit cramped, your choices will be more restricted. If your bench will go against a wall, its configuration could be fundamentally different from one at which you plan to work on both sides. Many woodworkers store tools in a wallmounted cabinet or on pegboard system behind the bench. The wider the bench, the more
Last Bhed on Spread
__________________________ I N A S HO HO P as large as Harold Foss’s, the benches could
be located almost anywhere. He’s chosen to designate a specific section of the shop, in the far corner, as his bench area, where he keeps two of his several benches.
9
10 THE PERFECT BENCH
__________________________ A SHOP IN A ONE -CAR GARAGE can be cramped,
but Tennessee woodworker Matthew Teague made the most of a tight space by putting the bench against the wall and creating a good work-flow plan.
Locating the Bench
difficult it will be to reach the tools. And if the bench is freestanding, you lose the convenience of wall-mounted tool storage. Whichever you choose, it is important to consider how the bench fits into your work flow.
Freestanding Larger shops tend to place benches in the center of a work area, whereas smaller shops tend to place them against the wall. Benches in the middle of the shop, or at least positioned to provide access all around, provide a surface for clamping projects wider than the benchtop.
Against the Wall Placing a bench at the wall means that you have access to only three sides of it. Any piece wider than the overall width of the bench must hang over the front edge. If there is flat wall space behind the bench, it is a great and natural spot for tool storage either in a cabinet or hanging on the wall. Tools are handy, visible, and very accessible. A good choice for a bench against a wall is one on the narrow side, 24 in. or under in width. Any wider, and it will be difficult to reach over the bench to get a tool hanging on the wall. If you can place the bench below a window, there will be wonderful natural light. And while you contemplate your next cut, you you can look out the window, rest your eyes, and take a sip of coffee.
Once you begin to place the items on the drawing and move boards and panels through the typical operations, you begin notice a natural flow of boards from a storage rack, through the rough milling operations to the joinery. joinery. Make sure you also account for comfortable working clearances around around the bench in your plan.
Clearances around aroun d a Workbench Workbench The minimum clearance between any active working face of the bench and an obstruction is 30"; 3'–4' is preferred. AGAINST THE WALL
Active work area 30"
Wall Bench
24" or less
Active work area 30" Vise Active work area 30"
FREESTANDING
Active work area 30"
Active work area 30"
Work Flow and Clearance In any workshop, there is a natural flow of materials in and finished projects out. Using a simple floor plan, you can try different positions for the bench without actually moving equipment. Cut out pieces of colored paper representing machines, benches, and commonly used materials like plywood panels or 12-ft. boards, all drawn to the same scale as the floor plan.
11
28"–30" Active work area 30"
Bench
Vise Vise Active work area 30"
12 THE PERFECT BENCH
Bench Size Once you have decided the location of the bench, the next step is determining its size. As we’ve seen, the space in your shop and where you chose to locate the bench place some limitations on size. If the space you have for a bench is 12 ft. in length between two walls, an 8-ft. bench will allow only 2 ft. on either end to work. A 6-ft. bench length would work much better.
__________________________ HAROLD GREENE’ S COMPACT,
but fully outfitted, shop called for a small bench. To save space, he’s located it against the wall where his hand tools are just an arm’s reach away.
In a very large shop, where working clearance is not an issue, ergonomics and the kind of woodworking you do play a larger role in deciding bench dimensions. Space-challenged woodworkers have fewer options. A tiny shop must have a workbench in scale with its size or there will be no room left for other critical equipment. Even when space is not an issue, there are practical limitations to bench size.
Last Bhed on Spread
13
__________________________ THIS BENCH,
built by Steven Thomas Bunn in Thomas Moser’s shop, was inspired by the classic benches found in Shaker workshops. Longer than most modern benches, it features roomy cabinet and drawer space below.
Length The Shakers built very large benches, some as long as 15 ft. The Shakers, who lived communally, often made large built-ins for members to share and tall shelves and cabinets to occupy narrow areas on the wall. No useful space was wasted. A long bench helps support the long uprights that were used in this type of furniture and provides space enough for more than one person to work at a single bench, which was the Shakers’ working style. These days, benches are commonly in the 5-ft. to 7-ft. range, a useful size for building stand-alone furniture for an average-scale room. But if you plan to build a boat or a circular
staircase, you’ll commonly use boards over 20 ft. long. In that case, you may think you need a very long workbench. But If you plan to build only one boat or one staircase, there are short-term solutions that will work for the duration of the project, including joining two workbenches of the same height or setting up a series of sawhorses as supports. On the other side of the spectrum, a woodworker who makes only small boxes or toys can make do with a relatively short bench. A woodcarver whose projects are on the small side would probably prefer an equally small bench that’s close to square in shape and provides many ways to anchor the work.
__________________________ LEE GRINDINGER,
who builds carved furniture in Montana, uses a specially designed bench from Lee Valley Tools for carving moldings. The bench tilts and rotates.
14 THE PERFECT BENCH
__________________________ A TOOL TRAY SERV ES TWO PRAC TICA L PURP OSES :
keeping the tools close at hand but below the surface and adding width to the benchtop. Curtis Erpelding likes tool trays, but many woodworkers think they are good for little beyond collecting dust.
Weight
Width As we’ve seen, wall-mounted benches have limitations in width. A bench wider than about 2 ft. makes it difficult to reach tools stored on the wall. Freestanding benches can be wider, which is helpful when gluing up large panels. But exceeding an arm’s reach to the center is impractical, because the extra space can’t be used. Freestanding benches are usually 28 in. to 30 in. wide, including any tool trays. If your bench seems a bit too narrow, the addition of a tool tray or even an extension arm may accommodate your project. Again, work style is the deciding factor. Michael Fortune prefers a 14-in. bench for good access to his furniture from all sides. Sam Maloof, on the other hand, likes using a bench that’s over 38 in. wide! Though both Fortune and Maloof build chairs, their approach to benches is, to say the least, different regarding width. The main requirement for Maloof is to have a large work surface with a broad overhang so he can clamp various parts to the front lip of the benchtop.
15
Generally speaking, heavier is better where workbenches are concerned. But there are exceptions. Many woodworkers routinely haul their benches across town. Portable workbenches must be not only strong but also light enough to transport easily.Chapter 10 has several examples. Assuming your primary workbench will stay in one place, there are two practical means for increasing the weight of the bench: add ballast or build on-board tool storage.
Adding Ballast Adding ballast to the base can considerably increase the stability of a bench that is on the light side. The most straightforward method is to build a simple box, fill it with sand or bags of concrete, and screw the lid on. Plywood or medium-density fiberboard (MDF) make good materials for the box. Join it with simple butt joints, reinforced with glue and drywall screws about 4 in. on center (o.c.). Bolt the box securely to the base from the inside. To contain concrete dust, line the box with heavy plastic sheeting.
Smart Solution
Weight It’s hard to cut a moving target. The greater the total weight of the bench, the less apt the bench is to move when you apply pressure to a tool. Nothing is more annoying than trying to make a cut with a handplane and have the bench move with each cut. With a massive bench, the friction against the floor of the shop is greater than the lateral pressure of a heavy cut with a tool, so the bench stays in place instead of sliding across the floor. Of course, all of this depends on having a very solid base, something we’ll discuss at length in Chapter 3.
BOLTING TO CONCRETE If adding mass to the bench itself is not an option, you can stablize it by bolting it to the floor or wall. These female concrete anchor nuts fit flush with the floor. It is a simple matter to drill into the concrete with a hammer drill and masonry bit and then set the anchor in place with a small tool. Nothing sticks up above the slab when the bolts are removed. Sets of anchors placed in different areas offer flexibility with shop layout by making it easy to relocate the bench.
16 THE PERFECT BENCH
Or you can do what Larry White did: Place a large rock on the base. It is a simple way to easily increase the weight and mass of just about any bench.
On-Board Tool Storage
__________________________ ADD ING BALL AST TO A
can be as simple as finding a big rock to sit over the base stretchers, a solution Larry White uses. A more conventional approach to ballast is attaching a box to the base and filling it with sand. BENCH
Using the base of a bench to store tools offers a two-fold advantage. Not only are tools handy and within easy reach but their weight acts like built-in ballast, making the bench heavier and more solid. The cabinets and drawers on their own will add weight to the bench—and even more when they’re loaded with planes, chisels, and marking tools. The tool cabinet serves another useful purpose: It helps make the base rigid. So long as the base is rigid, the top will not wobble. Handplaning, for example, requires having a solid bench to hold the board steady while you concentrate on planning smoothly.
__________________________ TOOL - STORAGE CABINETS AND DRAWERS below the bench
surface not only add mass to the bench but provide rigidity as well. Brent Merkley’s well-organized bench cabinet keeps his tools close at hand.
Height
17
__________________________ J OH N B AR BE E T OO K A METHODICAL TRIAL- AND -
to establishing the ideal height when he built his bench. He worked at different benches and changed the relative height by standing on 3 pieces of ⁄ 4-in. plywood. He varied the number of pieces until he found a comfortable working height. ERROR APPROACH
Height Experienced woodworkers would agree one of the most critical factors in workbench design is elevation. What they will not agree on is an actual number of inches. Plenty of rather tall woodworkers like relatively low workbenches and an equal number of shorter woodworkers prefer benches higher than usual. Once again, the purpose of the bench and the kind of work and tools you use help make this decision. The lower the bench, the more pressure you can apply to a plane, thereby increasing your power and control. This is an important factor not only for using a handplane but also for working with many modern power tools. But the lower the bench, the more difficult it will be to perform delicate operations without stooping. The solution, of course, is to sit or even kneel at the bench, but this is often impractical. You find the perfect height for one task, say planning a board, but when you begin to assemble a project, suddenly you find that the bench is too high. So how do you find the right compromise?
18 THE PERFECT BENCH
Determining Bench Height The classic rule of thumb for determining bench height is simple. While standing, turn your palms downward and measure to the floor. For a person of average height, this will be 34 in. to 36 in. This distance is as close to a single ideal height as you will likely find. This is a comfortable working height for most people. So it comes as no surprise that 36 in. is also the standard height for kitchen counters. But you should test the rule of thumb measurement empirically. Work at benches at different heights to see what suits you best; add blocks under the bench to raise it or stand on stacks of plywood to effectively lower it. Keep track of the heights that work best for certain tasks. If you tend to do meticulous work, like small hand joinery, chances are you are in the market for a bench that is on the high side, especially if you prefer to work standing as opposed to sitting. The reason, according to Garrett Hack, is as the work gets more delicate, you tend to want both your hands and the work itself closer to your eyes.
__________________________ T HE O LD R UL E O F T HU MB,
measuring from a down-turned palm to the floor, worked for John Allison. His workbench is at a comfortable working height for most tasks.
Better Short than Sorry Vermont author, handplane fan, and furniture maker Garrett Hack offers some good advice. He suggests building the bench a couple of inches shorter than you really think it ought to be. Then if it does not feel comfortable, it is a fairly simple matter to either prop the legs up on blocks or add blocks between the top and base to raise it. Reading between the lines, it is not difficult to imagine the hesitation one would have thinking about chopping the legs off a bit if the bench proved to be too high.
Adjusting the Height A compelling reason to get the height right the first time is the daunting task of raising or lowering the bench afterward. Blocks added under the feet make raising the bench fairly easy, but lowering it is another story. And by setting blocks under the feet of the bench, you introduce the likelihood that if you apply enough lateral pressure to a tool, the bench could slide right off of the blocks. Fastening the blocks with screws is one method, but suppose you later find you need to lower the bench? A more permanent solution is an adjustable-height benchtop.
